Trump taunts Kim Jong Un, says he would never call him 'short and fat'

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting at the White House.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump on Saturday asked why North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would call him "old" when he would never call him "short and fat."

Trump was apparently referring to a statement made by North Korean state media, which called him "the lunatic old man of the White House."

Tensions between the US and North Korea have been growing in recent months, and the two leaders have previously exchanged heated insults.

President Donald Trump in a bizarre tweet Saturday night said he would never call Kim Jong Un "short and fat," and accused the North Korean dictator of calling him "old."

"Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?' Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!"

Trump appeared to be referring to comments made earlier this week by North Korean state media, which accused Trump of driving tensions between the two countries "to the extremes."

"No one can predict when the lunatic old man of the White House, lost to senses, will start a nuclear war," the news agency said on Monday, according to the BBC.

The two leaders have previously exchanged barbs, with Trump referring to Kim multiple times as "Rocket Man," and Kim referring to Trump as a "dotard."

Trump's tweet came amid his five-country tour through Asia, where he has been meeting with various leaders and discussing sanctions on North Korea over the country's nuclear weapons program.

His latest remark came after several previous tweets in which Trump raged against his critics over comments he had made earlier over Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Trump had told reporters he believed Putin's repeated claims that Russia did not interfere.

"When will all the haters and fools out there realize that having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," he said on Twitter. "There always playing politics - bad for our country. I want to solve North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, terrorism, and Russia can greatly help!"